Muammar Gaddafi's forces pounded Misrata - the only city still in rebel hands - with rocket fire as weary residents who have endured more than a month of fighting lashed out at Nato for failing to halt the deadly assault.
Five civilians were killed in a 30-minute post-dawn barrage of shelling on Saturday that heavily damaged a factory for dairy products and sent up a thick column of black smoke, a doctor said.
A human rights group has accused the Gaddafi regime of using cluster bombs in Misrata - munitions that can cause indiscriminate casualties and have been banned by most countries. The Libyan government and military denied the claim.
In eastern Libya, fierce fighting left seven rebels dead, 27 wounded and four missing as the anti-Gaddafi forces sought to push towards the strategic oil town of Brega, according to Mohammed Idris, a hospital supervisor in the nearby city of Ajdabiya. The battle took place on a road halfway between Ajdabiya and Brega.
Frustration was growing among residents in Misrata, where Gaddafi's troops have intensified their long siege of the city in recent days. The doctor sharply criticised Nato for failing to break the assault with its month-old campaign of air strikes.
"We have not seen any protection of civilians," the doctor said. "Nato air strikes are not enough and the proof is that there are civilians killed every day here."
The theme was echoed in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, where spokesman Abdel-Hafidh Ghoga told a news conference: "There's no more room for hesitation or for not standing with determination against what is happening in Misrata and other Libyan cities, because the destruction that Muammar Gaddafi is causing in Libyan cities is great and extensive."
Rebel fighters in eastern Libya were less critical of Nato. Mustafa Abdul-Jalil, head of the rebels' National Transitional Council, said this week that without the air strikes, even Benghazi, Libya's second-largest city and the rebels' main stronghold, would be in "complete danger".
The Misrata doctor said Gaddafi's forces were taking shelter in residential areas that civilians had fled, apparently confident that Nato would not risk attacking them there. But the troops have so far been unable to fully occupy the city of 300,000 people, he said, so instead they are targeting sites such as the dairy plant or the port to prevent the arrival of humanitarian aid.
A lack of medicine, food and water for the 6,000-10,000 people in migrant workers' camps around Misrata have led to a "catastrophic" situation that is deteriorating daily, said Dr Helmi Makkaoui, a Tunisian co-ordinator for the humanitarian aid group.
Showing posts with label World. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World. Show all posts
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
Obama: Raise debt ceiling or risk global recession
CHICAGO (AP) — Failure by Congress to raise the U.S. debt limit "could plunge the world economy back into recession," President Barack Obama declared Friday, and he acknowledged that he must compromise on spending with Republicans who control the House to avoid such a crisis.
"I think it's absolutely right that it's not going to happen without some spending cuts," the president told The Associated Press in an interview in his hometown, agreeing with Republican House Speaker John Boehner's assessment.
Obama urged swift action to raise the ceiling on the money the nation can borrow, saying he doesn't want the United States to get close to a deadline that would destabilize markets. He said he was confident Congress ultimately would raise the limit.
"We always have. We will do it again," he said.
The president also said that he doesn't expect either side to get everything it wants in deficit negotiations and that he's pushing for "a smart compromise that's serious."
He warned of dire consequences if the debt ceiling is not raised before it hits its limit of $14.3 trillion in mid-May. But he said some questions about where the government trims its operations will have to be left until after the November 2012 presidential election.
The interview came a day after the Democratic president held the first major fundraising events of his re-election campaign, which was launched a week ago. To win a second term, Obama must convince a nation suffering from stubbornly high unemployment that he deserves more time to help the economy recover from a recession he inherited from George W. Bush.
"I think the economy's going to continue to improve, and I think that I can make an effective case ... that not only have I been able to yank this economy out of that hole" but also that he has been able to start making wise fundamental changes. He pointed to overhauling the health care system, investing in clean energy and making college more affordable.
"I'm the person who is best prepared for us to finish the job so that we're on track to succeed in the 21st century," Obama said.
The 2012 presidential race is the first in which the ultraconservative tea party coalition, which rails against the growth of government, excessive spending and Obama's presidency, will play a major role.
Obama said his views differ from the tea party in terms of the proper role of the government in society, but he also said he welcomes active public participation in democracy.
On the subject of the country's continuing war efforts, Obama refused to estimate how many troops he would pull out of Afghanistan this summer, saying he's waiting for a recommendation from Gen. David Petraeus, who is overseeing the mission.
"I'm confident that the withdrawal will be significant," he said, "a real process of transition" and "not a token gesture."
On Libya, Obama said he doesn't anticipate any stepped-up U.S. military role, even as he conceded that a stalemate exists on the ground. He credited the United States and NATO with averting a "wholesale slaughter" of civilians and said Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi is under increasing pressure to leave.
The president said Gadhafi is "getting squeezed in all different kinds of ways," running out of money and supplies.
"I think it's absolutely right that it's not going to happen without some spending cuts," the president told The Associated Press in an interview in his hometown, agreeing with Republican House Speaker John Boehner's assessment.
Obama urged swift action to raise the ceiling on the money the nation can borrow, saying he doesn't want the United States to get close to a deadline that would destabilize markets. He said he was confident Congress ultimately would raise the limit.
"We always have. We will do it again," he said.
The president also said that he doesn't expect either side to get everything it wants in deficit negotiations and that he's pushing for "a smart compromise that's serious."
He warned of dire consequences if the debt ceiling is not raised before it hits its limit of $14.3 trillion in mid-May. But he said some questions about where the government trims its operations will have to be left until after the November 2012 presidential election.
The interview came a day after the Democratic president held the first major fundraising events of his re-election campaign, which was launched a week ago. To win a second term, Obama must convince a nation suffering from stubbornly high unemployment that he deserves more time to help the economy recover from a recession he inherited from George W. Bush.
"I think the economy's going to continue to improve, and I think that I can make an effective case ... that not only have I been able to yank this economy out of that hole" but also that he has been able to start making wise fundamental changes. He pointed to overhauling the health care system, investing in clean energy and making college more affordable.
"I'm the person who is best prepared for us to finish the job so that we're on track to succeed in the 21st century," Obama said.
The 2012 presidential race is the first in which the ultraconservative tea party coalition, which rails against the growth of government, excessive spending and Obama's presidency, will play a major role.
Obama said his views differ from the tea party in terms of the proper role of the government in society, but he also said he welcomes active public participation in democracy.
On the subject of the country's continuing war efforts, Obama refused to estimate how many troops he would pull out of Afghanistan this summer, saying he's waiting for a recommendation from Gen. David Petraeus, who is overseeing the mission.
"I'm confident that the withdrawal will be significant," he said, "a real process of transition" and "not a token gesture."
On Libya, Obama said he doesn't anticipate any stepped-up U.S. military role, even as he conceded that a stalemate exists on the ground. He credited the United States and NATO with averting a "wholesale slaughter" of civilians and said Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi is under increasing pressure to leave.
The president said Gadhafi is "getting squeezed in all different kinds of ways," running out of money and supplies.
Tornadoes overnight leave at least nine dead
(Reuters) - Violent storms ripped across Oklahoma and Arkansas overnight, killing nine people including three children, and cutting a path of destruction through Arkansas's largest city of Little Rock, authorities said on Friday.
Tornadoes killed two people in Oklahoma, both in the small southeastern town of Tushka where the only school was leveled, authorities said.
Seven people were killed in Arkansas as the storms hit early on Friday morning, authorities said. A six-year-old boy was killed in the town of Bald Knob. A father and an 18-month-old girl were dead in Garland County, one person was dead in Pulaski County, and one in St. Francis County, local police and Arkansas state police said.
The storm hit the city of Little Rock hard, killing a mother and her young son, whose age was unknown, according to the Little Rock Police Department. The storm also left numerous trees down and electricity out in large parts of the city.
More storms are expected on Friday to move through Mississippi and Alabama, along with a secondary storm corridor along the Mississippi River valley through eastern Missouri, northeastern Arkansas, Western Kentucky and southern and perhaps central Illinois, according to Corey Mead, forecaster for the National Storm Prediction Center.
Mead said the storms are expected to bring heavy rainfall with a potential for more tornadoes and large hail. The storms in the secondary corridor are expected to be confined to Friday afternoon and evening, while storms will likely continue overnight in the deep south, moving east across parts of Georgia and the Florida panhandle, Mead said.
Large hail, tornadoes and damaging winds are also possible in eastern Louisiana and the western Carolinas, according to weather.com.
(Reporting by Steve Olafson in Oklahoma City and Suzi Parker in Little Rock; Writing by Mary Wisniewski; Editing by Greg McCune)
Tornadoes killed two people in Oklahoma, both in the small southeastern town of Tushka where the only school was leveled, authorities said.
Seven people were killed in Arkansas as the storms hit early on Friday morning, authorities said. A six-year-old boy was killed in the town of Bald Knob. A father and an 18-month-old girl were dead in Garland County, one person was dead in Pulaski County, and one in St. Francis County, local police and Arkansas state police said.
The storm hit the city of Little Rock hard, killing a mother and her young son, whose age was unknown, according to the Little Rock Police Department. The storm also left numerous trees down and electricity out in large parts of the city.
More storms are expected on Friday to move through Mississippi and Alabama, along with a secondary storm corridor along the Mississippi River valley through eastern Missouri, northeastern Arkansas, Western Kentucky and southern and perhaps central Illinois, according to Corey Mead, forecaster for the National Storm Prediction Center.
Mead said the storms are expected to bring heavy rainfall with a potential for more tornadoes and large hail. The storms in the secondary corridor are expected to be confined to Friday afternoon and evening, while storms will likely continue overnight in the deep south, moving east across parts of Georgia and the Florida panhandle, Mead said.
Large hail, tornadoes and damaging winds are also possible in eastern Louisiana and the western Carolinas, according to weather.com.
(Reporting by Steve Olafson in Oklahoma City and Suzi Parker in Little Rock; Writing by Mary Wisniewski; Editing by Greg McCune)
Tornadoes overnight leave at least nine dead
(Reuters) - Violent storms ripped across Oklahoma and Arkansas overnight, killing nine people including three children, and cutting a path of destruction through Arkansas's largest city of Little Rock, authorities said on Friday.
Tornadoes killed two people in Oklahoma, both in the small southeastern town of Tushka where the only school was leveled, authorities said.
Seven people were killed in Arkansas as the storms hit early on Friday morning, authorities said. A six-year-old boy was killed in the town of Bald Knob. A father and an 18-month-old girl were dead in Garland County, one person was dead in Pulaski County, and one in St. Francis County, local police and Arkansas state police said.
The storm hit the city of Little Rock hard, killing a mother and her young son, whose age was unknown, according to the Little Rock Police Department. The storm also left numerous trees down and electricity out in large parts of the city.
More storms are expected on Friday to move through Mississippi and Alabama, along with a secondary storm corridor along the Mississippi River valley through eastern Missouri, northeastern Arkansas, Western Kentucky and southern and perhaps central Illinois, according to Corey Mead, forecaster for the National Storm Prediction Center.
Mead said the storms are expected to bring heavy rainfall with a potential for more tornadoes and large hail. The storms in the secondary corridor are expected to be confined to Friday afternoon and evening, while storms will likely continue overnight in the deep south, moving east across parts of Georgia and the Florida panhandle, Mead said.
Large hail, tornadoes and damaging winds are also possible in eastern Louisiana and the western Carolinas, according to weather.com.
(Reporting by Steve Olafson in Oklahoma City and Suzi Parker in Little Rock; Writing by Mary Wisniewski; Editing by Greg McCune)
Tornadoes killed two people in Oklahoma, both in the small southeastern town of Tushka where the only school was leveled, authorities said.
Seven people were killed in Arkansas as the storms hit early on Friday morning, authorities said. A six-year-old boy was killed in the town of Bald Knob. A father and an 18-month-old girl were dead in Garland County, one person was dead in Pulaski County, and one in St. Francis County, local police and Arkansas state police said.
The storm hit the city of Little Rock hard, killing a mother and her young son, whose age was unknown, according to the Little Rock Police Department. The storm also left numerous trees down and electricity out in large parts of the city.
More storms are expected on Friday to move through Mississippi and Alabama, along with a secondary storm corridor along the Mississippi River valley through eastern Missouri, northeastern Arkansas, Western Kentucky and southern and perhaps central Illinois, according to Corey Mead, forecaster for the National Storm Prediction Center.
Mead said the storms are expected to bring heavy rainfall with a potential for more tornadoes and large hail. The storms in the secondary corridor are expected to be confined to Friday afternoon and evening, while storms will likely continue overnight in the deep south, moving east across parts of Georgia and the Florida panhandle, Mead said.
Large hail, tornadoes and damaging winds are also possible in eastern Louisiana and the western Carolinas, according to weather.com.
(Reporting by Steve Olafson in Oklahoma City and Suzi Parker in Little Rock; Writing by Mary Wisniewski; Editing by Greg McCune)
Tornadoes overnight leave at least nine dead
(Reuters) - Violent storms ripped across Oklahoma and Arkansas overnight, killing nine people including three children, and cutting a path of destruction through Arkansas's largest city of Little Rock, authorities said on Friday.
Tornadoes killed two people in Oklahoma, both in the small southeastern town of Tushka where the only school was leveled, authorities said.
Seven people were killed in Arkansas as the storms hit early on Friday morning, authorities said. A six-year-old boy was killed in the town of Bald Knob. A father and an 18-month-old girl were dead in Garland County, one person was dead in Pulaski County, and one in St. Francis County, local police and Arkansas state police said.
The storm hit the city of Little Rock hard, killing a mother and her young son, whose age was unknown, according to the Little Rock Police Department. The storm also left numerous trees down and electricity out in large parts of the city.
More storms are expected on Friday to move through Mississippi and Alabama, along with a secondary storm corridor along the Mississippi River valley through eastern Missouri, northeastern Arkansas, Western Kentucky and southern and perhaps central Illinois, according to Corey Mead, forecaster for the National Storm Prediction Center.
Mead said the storms are expected to bring heavy rainfall with a potential for more tornadoes and large hail. The storms in the secondary corridor are expected to be confined to Friday afternoon and evening, while storms will likely continue overnight in the deep south, moving east across parts of Georgia and the Florida panhandle, Mead said.
Large hail, tornadoes and damaging winds are also possible in eastern Louisiana and the western Carolinas, according to weather.com.
(Reporting by Steve Olafson in Oklahoma City and Suzi Parker in Little Rock; Writing by Mary Wisniewski; Editing by Greg McCune)
Tornadoes killed two people in Oklahoma, both in the small southeastern town of Tushka where the only school was leveled, authorities said.
Seven people were killed in Arkansas as the storms hit early on Friday morning, authorities said. A six-year-old boy was killed in the town of Bald Knob. A father and an 18-month-old girl were dead in Garland County, one person was dead in Pulaski County, and one in St. Francis County, local police and Arkansas state police said.
The storm hit the city of Little Rock hard, killing a mother and her young son, whose age was unknown, according to the Little Rock Police Department. The storm also left numerous trees down and electricity out in large parts of the city.
More storms are expected on Friday to move through Mississippi and Alabama, along with a secondary storm corridor along the Mississippi River valley through eastern Missouri, northeastern Arkansas, Western Kentucky and southern and perhaps central Illinois, according to Corey Mead, forecaster for the National Storm Prediction Center.
Mead said the storms are expected to bring heavy rainfall with a potential for more tornadoes and large hail. The storms in the secondary corridor are expected to be confined to Friday afternoon and evening, while storms will likely continue overnight in the deep south, moving east across parts of Georgia and the Florida panhandle, Mead said.
Large hail, tornadoes and damaging winds are also possible in eastern Louisiana and the western Carolinas, according to weather.com.
(Reporting by Steve Olafson in Oklahoma City and Suzi Parker in Little Rock; Writing by Mary Wisniewski; Editing by Greg McCune)
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Gates Calls for Limited Role Aiding Libyan Rebels
The U.S. should avoid developing a closer relationship with Libyan opposition forces, defense leaders said Thursday, telling an often hostile Congress that foreign nations must now take over airstrike responsibilities and any effort to train and equip the rebels.
With the U.S. role in Libya at a turning point, the next critical decision is how, if at all, the U.S. chooses to support the opposition forces, particularly in the face of the ongoing budget crisis at home. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he is opposed to arming the rebels, a step his boss President Barack Obama has not ruled out.
Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said it was time to turn the bulk of the conflict over to NATO.
Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=13271526
With the U.S. role in Libya at a turning point, the next critical decision is how, if at all, the U.S. chooses to support the opposition forces, particularly in the face of the ongoing budget crisis at home. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he is opposed to arming the rebels, a step his boss President Barack Obama has not ruled out.
Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said it was time to turn the bulk of the conflict over to NATO.
Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=13271526
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Bahrain unleashes assault against protesters’ camp in capital
MANAMA, Bahrain — A tent city in the heart of Bahrain’s capital was wiped away Wednesday morning in a cloud of tear gas and a hail of rubber bullets after the government dispatched troops against pro-democracy demonstrators in defiance of U.S. warnings.
Trails of acrid black smoke floated over Manama as dumpsters and tires were set alight across the city. By late afternoon, the military had announced a 12-hour curfew for most of the downtown area, including Pearl Square, which has been the hub of the demonstrations.
Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/bahrain_unleashes_assault_against_protesters_camp_in_capital/2011/03/16/ABHGtYg_story.html?wprss=rss_homepage
Trails of acrid black smoke floated over Manama as dumpsters and tires were set alight across the city. By late afternoon, the military had announced a 12-hour curfew for most of the downtown area, including Pearl Square, which has been the hub of the demonstrations.
Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/bahrain_unleashes_assault_against_protesters_camp_in_capital/2011/03/16/ABHGtYg_story.html?wprss=rss_homepage
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